With bowl win comes swagger for Northwestern

Defensive lineman Brian Arnfelt hoists the trophy after Northwestern's 34-20 win over Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla. With five straight bowl seasons and that elusive victory in their pocket, the Wildcats believe even better days are coming.Associated Press

Video: Fitz on practicing tough

Associated Press

One big hurdle is out of the way. Plenty remain.

Northwestern will try to take the next big step and assert itself as one of the best in the Big Ten on the heels of a bowl victory that ended a drought dating back more than six decades.

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"Our mentality has definitely changed," running back Venric Mark said. "In the past we came in kind of like as an underdog."

While Ohio State is widely viewed as the best in the Big Ten coming off an undefeated season, the Wildcats believe they at least belong in the discussion with the top teams in the conference.

After all, they went 10-3 last season and beat Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. The only other bowl victory for Northwestern was when the 1948 team beat California in the Rose Bowl.

With five straight bowl seasons and that elusive victory in their pocket, the Wildcats believe better days are coming.

Here are five things to watch for as Northwestern heads into the season:

1. WHO'S THE QUARTERBACK?: Rephrase that. Who are the quarterbacks? "One's named Kain and other's Trevor," coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "They're going to play a lot of football for us." Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian both played plenty last season, and that's not about to change after Northwestern ranked third in scoring offense. A two-way threat, Colter threw for 872 yards while running for 894 and 12 touchdowns. Siemian, technically the backup QB, threw for 1,312 yards. "What's the old coaches (saying) -- if you have two quarterback you don't have one? I think we've proved that wrong," Fitzgerald said. "The only way that works is by being (an) unselfish guy. By being a team-first player. And both Kain and Trevor are that way."

2. WHO ELSE IS BACK?: The Wildcats return eight starters on offense and seven from a defense that ranked third in the conference against the run. They also have their top special-teams players back in Big Ten co-Kicker of the Year Jeff Budzien, punter Brandon Williams and Mark, one of the top return men in the nation last season. He ran back two punts for touchdowns last season and averaged 19.8 yards on kickoff returns. He also became Northwestern's first 1,000-yard rusher since Tyrell Sutton in 2006, running for 1,366 yards and 12 TDs. Tyler Scott, who led the Wildcats with nine sacks, is back anchoring the defense along with honorable mention, all-conference players Chi Chi Ariguzo (linebacker), Damien Proby (linebacker) and Ibraheim Campbell (safety).

3. BIG TESTS: Northwestern opens at California on Aug. 31, and there aren't too many breathers after that. The schedule includes trips to Wisconsin and Nebraska, and at home, they get Ohio State along with Michigan and Michigan State. The Wildcats haven't enjoyed a huge advantage at Ryan Field over the years, but that could change if they win a few of those games. That would also show they truly rank among the conference's best. "I think there's some confidence," Scott said. "We know we have the talent to play with anybody. As long as we're executing and preparing the right way, we can play. The goal is to go 1-0 every week and that how we're going to approach each week."

4. THINKING BIG: Big things are happening for the athletic department as a whole, not just Fitzgerald's program. A new lakefront complex that includes facilities for football and other sports is in the works. There's a new men's basketball coach in Chris Collins. The football team is coming off its first 10-win season since 1995, when Fitzgerald was a linebacker and the Wildcats shocked the nation with a run to the Rose Bowl, and the swagger is noticeable. "That's something that has been starting to grow and the program has been increasing," Mark said. "The spotlight is really being shined upon Northwestern, Coach Fitz and the team. That's what football's about, having fun and being in the spotlight."

5. CLOSING OUT THE CLOSE ONES: The Wildcats believe they were only a few plays from an unbeaten season a year ago, and their ability to pull out the close ones could be something to watch this time. They blew a double-digit lead at Penn State, allowing the final 22 points in a 39-28 loss. They lost by one to Nebraska at home, when Taylor Martinez hit Ben Cotton with a 7-yard TD pass with just over two minutes left and Budzien barely missed a 53-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining. The third loss was in overtime, 38-31, at Michigan. "We knew what we did last year wasn't enough," Scott said. "We had three games that we lost -- it was a play here, a play there -- that could have changed the outcome. We're really focused on that and we really focused on that first game at Cal."

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